Wedding Photography: Tips of the Trade

Weddings are a serious matter, involving months of planning and preparation. While it’s normal (and expected) for the bride and groom to be nervous on the actual day, the wedding photographer is equally if not even more anxious than them. We speak to two wedding photographers and suss out their tips and tricks to keeping cool while capturing this important milestone.

Jeremy Lim of Avenue 8 Studios started out as a freelance photographer, doing simple shoots for friends. While he initially viewed weddings as just another important event, he began to enjoy seeing all the happy faces and hearing their laughter, grateful that he was there to capture these special moments.

Image by Jeremy Lim

“I like to get to know my couples beforehand, not as clients but as friends. That way they can be comfortable around me and just enjoy the experience. The final result would be beautiful moments that hopefully they will savour later. I work with 2 cameras, Canon EOS 6D and Canon EOS 7D. As far as lenses go, they would be EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, EF50mm f/1.4L, EF85mm f/1.8 USM and EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM.”

Likewise, becoming a wedding photographer was never part of Rawandi Rahman’s plan. But as his love for wedding photography grew, this photographer from The Fotorika started to appreciate being able to capture all the emotions – from the loveliest smiles to the most joyous tears.

Image by Rawandi Rahman

“I love pure colours, bright images, sharp edges and happy faces. I shoot with two sets of Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF35mm f/1.4L, EF17-40mm f/4L and also EF85mm f/1.2L. I do not have a specific camera combination that I use frequently as I love to explore the different lenses. But the EF85mm f/1.2L is my favourite!

Canon Snapshot: What do you look for when composing wedding/pre wedding shots?

Jeremy: The expressions, most importantly! They create the mood and feel of the photograph. I’d also ensure the shot isn’t too messy that it loses the focus of what is important.
Rawandi: Mainly lights, lines, negative space and to make full use of the location. I prefer to get as many shots as I can so that I have a wider variety set of photos to select during editing.

Image by Jeremy Lim

CS: How do you prepare for unexpected weather during a shoot?
J: I ensure my couples have a backup plan, for example an indoor location, in case it rains. Also checking the day’s weather forecast helps a lot in planning the shoot. That being said, if my couples are daring enough to shoot in the rain, I will gladly agree.

R: I don’t – I love surprises. It makes me think faster and that’s when I can get creative and use nature to get better shots. For instance, I could make a couple use an umbrella during the rain and I would shoot with an EF85mm f/1.2L and easily freeze the raindrop. And to be able to do that is awesome!

Image by Rawandi Rahman

CS: How do you calm down nervous couples?

R: I normally get very friendly and try to make the couple feel as comfortable right from the start. By doing that, they won’t get too nervous. Communication is very important as it is the only way to make the couple smile or follow your art direction.

Image by Rawandi Rahman

CS: What was the weirdest request from a couple?

R: A couple wanted me to take a photo of both their arms. They both had same injury marks, haha!

CS: What’s the one thing you’d like every bride and groom to know before their wedding?

J: I know wedding planning can be stressful and things may not always go as planned, but try to take things easy, one hurdle at a time, and everything will turn out okay in the end.
R: The one thing that I always tell my couples is to have fun and be as natural as possible!

Image by Jeremy Lim

CS: Any advice for aspiring wedding photographers?

J: Be patient, press on and enjoy the journey.

R: The advice I would give is to take failure as a step closer to success. Well, that’s what my mom would always tell me.

Azmin Zainal
Profile of writerAzmin Zainal has been in love with the written word ever since she could well, read. Relatively new to all things digital, so show her some love. Still searching for the meaning of life, whatever that is. Loves coffee, good conversations, fried chicken and Roger Federer. Not necessarily in that order.

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